Draft rigging



C. HANKINS DRAFT RIGGING Aug. 12, 1930.

Original Filed Oct. 2, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l gnaw/141 01 C. HANKINS DRAFT RIGGING Aug. 12, 1930.

Original Filed Oct. 2, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 12, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CYRUS HANKINS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE SYMINGTON COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA TION OF MARYLAND DRAFT RIGGING Application filed October 2, 1924, Serial contained unit which may be advantageously substituted for the cushioning units now in use and which comprises a plurality of rigid followers having interposed therebetween a plurality of sets, couples or gangs of dished spring plates, the spring plates and followers being perforated so as to receive a connecting member by which the followers and plates are supported and maintained in assembled posi-' or rear stop casting, 3 the slotted cheek plates tion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cushioning unit for railway draft rigging comprising a plurality of dished spring disks, said disks being concavo-conveX in form and being adapted to be assembled in groups or couples with their concaved faces positioned in opposite directions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a graduated cushioning unit composed of gangs or groups of dished spring disks, the disks being arranged so as to afford a graduated resistance up to the maximum of the entire unit. I

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a device of the character described a plurality of non-rotatable followers having interposed therebetween a plurality of spring disks together with means for applying to said unit any desired or necessary degree of initial compression.

To these and other ends, the invention consists of the various elements and combinations of elements hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view partially in plan and partially in section of a railway draft rigging and the. adjacent portions of the car underframe showing the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the cushioning unit and the followers associated therewith.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, a portion of the disks being broken away.

No. 741,149. Renewed January 6, 1930.

Figure l is a'view similar to Figure 2 showing, however, a slight modification in the followers.

Figures 5 and 6 are end views respectively of the front and rear followers shown in Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a plan view of a modified form of plate spring.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line 88 of Figure 7.

Throughout the specification and drawings like parts are designated by like reference characters.

The numeral 1 designates the usual draft or center sills of a railway car, 2 the back stop connected at the outer faces of the center sills 1, 4 the horizontal yoke, 5 the coupler, 6 the usual key follower, and 7 and 8, respectively, the coupler and front follower keys. The construction so far described is the ordinary Farlow draft rigging of the two-key type and is merely illustrated to show the position of the cushioning unit. It is to be understood that the cushioning unit is adapted for use with any of the standard types of draft rigging now in use.

Referring to Figures 1,2 and 3, the cushioning unit comprises a box-shaped follower 9 and a plate follower 10,.the followers being connected by a bolt 11. Preferably, the head 12 of the bolt 11 is slidably received within a suitably formed aperture 13 of the follower 9, the walls of the aperture being adapted to cooperate with the head ofthe bolt to preventrotation of the same. At its opposite end the bolt 11 is provided with a thread 14 and the following 10 is-provided with a spherical recess 15 in which is seated the forward face of the nut 16 for the said bolt. The nut is" gressively increasing groups and each group comprises at least two disks arranged with the concaved faces facing 1n opposite directions, as clearly shown 1n Flgure 2. The

disks are each provided with a concavo-convex central portion 19 which is pierced or perforated, as at 20, for the reception of the bolt 11 and is further provided adjacent its periphery with a flat surface 21, the entire periphery being preferably arranged in a single plane. As shown in Figure 2, there is interposed between the followers a plurality of these disks. In the preferred arrangement I provide a single disk whose periphery abuts the front follower 9; next adjacent is a single disk faced in the opposite direction and abutting the first disk at a point adjacent the opening 20; and a complementary disk facing in the opposite direction, the second disk and its complementary disk contacting at their 9 ri hery form the second cushioning unit. The succeeding cushioning units are formed by the addition of plates on either or both sides of succeeding pairs so that the units may progressively increase in resistance in each cushioning unit although, as shown in Figure 2, a pair of cushioning units may be, if desired, of the same capacity. It will be observed that the followers and disks are circular and hence can be received by the ordinary supporting members used to engage the cylindrical friction barrels now in use.

It will be observed that the front follower 9 consists of a cylindrical shell .22 having opposite end walls 23, 24, a central thimble 25 and radial webs 26 connecting the central thimble 25 to the shell 22. The thimble 25 is provided with shoulders 27 against which the head 12 engages so as to limit the separation of the followers 9 and 10. Four openings 27 are provided in the walls 23 and 24 between the ribs 26 so as to facilitate the casting of the said follower.

Referring now to Figures 4 to 6, inclusive, there is illustrated a cushioning unit which, except for the followers as hereinafter noted, is a duplicate of the construction shown in Figures 1 to 3; that is, the cushioning unit is identical with that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The front follower 32 is provided with a peripheral wall 33, said wall being interiorly connected by a plurality of transverse and a plurality of upright webs 34 and 35, respectively, the intersection of the pairs of webs or ribs forming a rectangular chamber 36 in which is received the rectangular head 37 of the bolt 31. Extending outwardly from the peripheral surface on opposite sides of the follower are lugs 38 which are adapted to lie adjacent either the side faces of the yoke or the side faces of the .ills, depending upon the character of yoke employed, so as to prevent the rotation of the follower in service. The rear follower 39 is likewise provided with ears 40 which project beyond the periphery of the main body portion and form at the side edges upright faces or walls ll whose function and purpose are the same as that of the lugs 38 heretofore described. The bolt 31 is preferably provided with a similar fastening means to that shown and described in Figures 1 to 3, and further reference to the same is therefore unnecessary.

In Figures 7 and 8 I have illustrated spring plates similar in function to those heretofore described. The plates 28, however, are rectangular in outline rather than circular. These plates are each provided with a. concavo-convex central portion and are further provided with in-turned corner portions 29, the corner portions being bent from the body of the plate into substantially the plane of the convex surface of the central portion of the plate, as clearly illustrated. The plates 28 are provided with central openings 30 for the reception of the bolt 31 and are arranged in groups as in Figure 2. Ad-

ditional spring capacity is obtained by the rectangular plates due to the bent corner portions, as hereinbefore described.

I claim:

1. In a draft rigging, the combination with a pair of followers, of a plurality of spring plates interposed therebetween, and means passing through said plates and followers for connecting the same, one of said followers being relatively long and provid-' ing sufficient clearance for relative longitudinal movement of the connecting means, the other follower being normally held immovable against longitudinal movement but adapted for angling with respect to said means, said plates being provided with concave-convex central portions and being arranged in a plurality of groups, at least one of said groups comprising a plurality of pairs of oppositely facing plates.

2. A draft rigging comprising a pair of spaced followers, a plurality of spring friction plates positioned therebetween, retaining means extending through said followers and plates for holding the members in assembled relation, and connected to one of said followers by means permitting angular motion therebetween, said plates being normally dished and arranged in groups with the-concave sides of the plates in a group facing toward an intermediate position in the group, the capacity of the successive groups being progressively increased for increasing the efficiency of the mechanism.

3. A draft rigging for railway cars comprising a front follower, a rear follower, a plurality of spring friction plates positioned therebetween, a bolt extending into said front follower with the head thereof inset therein, whereby compression of the plates is permitted without the head of the bolt emerging beyond the outer face thereof, the other end of said bolt extending through the plates and rear follower, a nut threaded on said bolt and having a convex inner face engaging in a corresponding pocket in said rear follower, whereby angular motion therebetween is permitted, a yoke surrounding said followers and plates and supporting said rear follower, a coupler, connecting means between said coupler and yoke and connecting means between said yoke and front follower adapted for the support of such follower.

In testimony whereof I aflix m signature.

CYRUS H NKINS. 

